Arsenal United

Note to self: Listening to the Up For Grabs Now podcast at work, whilst an important meeting is taking place next door may not be a good idea.

Anyway, how are you all on another cold, grey north London day? Porto come to town tonight and they will be hoping for a performance with slightly more backbone than their last two visits to the Grove have contained- no goals scored, six conceded and two easy victories for our north London heroes. It would be typical of Arsenal if Porto were somehow to find a goal tonight, but Sol Campbell's goal three weeks ago makes the situation a little less perilous than, say, last season's semi final against Manchester United when Park's early strike left us with an Everest to climb.

There does seem to be something different about Arsenal this season though. With Gallas, Cesc and van Persie representing a pretty decent spine, we would have every right to feel a little apprehensive about our chances tonight in their absence. But I look at the squad and the way we have played recently, and I don't think there should be too much too worry about. This is not to say Porto should be taken lightly by any means, just that the players we do have left standing are more than capable of getting the right result tonight. It now seems certain, judging from Arsène's comments yesterday, that super Samir will look to pick up where he left off on Saturday afternoon in central midfield. Arshavin may be consigned to the bench, as the manager says he will not be able to play a full game, which leaves the way open for either Rosicky or Eduardo to join Bendtner and Walcott in attack. Or to perhaps replace the youngsters, I wouldn't, but it is an option.

Whatever team we put out tonight, I do think we should have too much for the Portugueezers, but the importance of the first goal... well, if they were to score it than it would make for quite a tense night in the Enormodome.

The task ahead would, obviously, be easier were the captain available. He recognises this and says that he wanted to play but was advised by the doctors that rest was a far more sensible option than risking his hamstring. Happier news for us on Cesc is that, speaking to a Spanish radio station, he said;

"I am very united to the club and to the supporters. My role as captain has increased my commitment to Arsenal and I am happy there."

No room for José Reyes style stirring there, it would be nice to think that would stave off the vultures in the Spanish press, but then it would also be nice to think I am going to win the lottery this week. He went onto say that his dream is an Arsenal Real Madrid European Final. I guess that dream is given added drive by the fact that the final takes place in Real Madrid's Estadio Santiago Bernabeu this season. For a son of Catalonia, which we will never be allowed to forget our adopted north Londoner is, there can be no higher motivation than lifting the Champions League trophy at the home of Real Madrid.

Someone else, whose commitment to the cause should never be doubted, though we could legitimately question whether he will be here next season, is William Gallas. According to the manager, Gallas returned to training, only to break down once again. I was on the point of writing something yesterday, questioning whether Gallas' injury was a proper injury or one of those "injuries" the likes of Wiltord, Edu and perhaps even Thierry Henry suffered in their final seasons at the club. And then I reasoned that his contract situation was no reason to expose us to the Inspector Clouseau stylings of Mikael Silvestre at the back. Not when there's a Premier League title to win. As a recent convert to Twitter, I was then intrigued to note the Arseblogger respond to a John Cross tweet on Gallas last night, giving voice to his suspicions over Gallas' injury. The Cross tweet, by the way, said that Gallas' agents were meeting with Arsenal this week to discuss a new deal. This new deal is said to be for a year, with a further year's option, which is a compromise on the one year for over 30's rule. But still may not be enough to keep the Frenchman, who has proved his quality and commitment to the cause time and time again since his demotion two autumns ago, at the club. I've said it before, I'll say it again. It would be utter folly to lose a player of Gallas' quality behind a length of contract dispute.

Finally, for today, Chris Waddle has carried on his criticisms of Theo Walcott, citing something I have often wondered about as part of it. He says,

"People keep telling me he is only young and he is still developing, but he is learning the game under one of the best teachers in the world in Arsène Wenger. Why are we not seeing that all important consistency in his game yet?"

I guess the answer to this is pretty simple; he is twenty years old and despite his four years at the club, he is yet to complete a full season without missing a significant part of the season through injury. As I said last week, or was it earlier this week, it's tough to improve when you're not playing or training. Furthermore, whilst I can't speak for the history of football, I know my history of Arsenal and I don't think that any of the players that we now call legends, or that embrace the stadium walls, were world beaters by the time of their twentieth birthday. I guess Theo's right, the only people whose opinions matter are Arsène, Fabio Capello and his family. The rest is just talk and, I suppose, that goes for us too. Hopefully, Waddle will have less to say after a Walcott hat trick tonight. Fingers crossed...

Enjoy the game, wherever you are.

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